Optimum Organization~Now a Weekly Linky Party!

Welcome to the first...well, really the second... weekly installment of the Optimum Organization Linky Party. Kristen and I are so glad you are here and hope that you can link up with us this week. This linky will be up all week beginning today. So, if you can't join us today, feel free to link up all week long. We will post a new linky each Saturday all summer long.

Would you like to join us?

Here are the steps...

1. Write a blog post about one or both of the following:

An Organizational Idea

This can be something that you've used in the past that has worked well, or something you are developing this summer for next year. One idea is fine, as this will be a weekly linky party.

and/or

An Organizational Find

Share a find you scored when shopping this summer (binders, bins, folders, containers, magnetic boards, etc.) that will make a huge difference in your classroom organization and management.

2. Grab a button for your blog post:

3. Link on up! You can join the party on Kristen's blog or mine...it's all the same party so come on over!

4. The Fine Print! We do have a couple of rules for this linky, as shown below. Please note that any links that do not follow the rules will be deleted regrettably.The purpose of this linky party is to provide new and veteran teachers a chance to come together and share ideas on how to get organized for a new school year. Please join us and share your advice and expertise, but not links to products please. Please share new posts in which you are participating in the party, not links to older posts or labels on your blog. Thanks so much for understanding!

We want to reach out to everyone as well! Don't have a blog? Please feel welcome to leave comments each week sharing your tips with us...we can learn so much from each other! :)

Now for my link up ideas...

My first organizational idea is basic. My filing cabinets:

Filing cabinets are the most basic of organizational tools, but they work for me in a strangely different way. I don't use them both for files. I use the one on the right for storage. I keep all of my old "teacher" books in two of the drawers. You know what I'm talking about...those books that we used to buy before Teachers Pay Teachers entered the equation. I just can't seem to bring myself to throw them out {yet}, but I don't want them clogging up my bookshelves. The other two drawers are used for a full class set of math textbooks. They are the outdated textbooks that we are no longer using, but {yet again} I can't bring myself to get rid of. I didn't even pull them out this year, but they are there "just in case". (By the way...if you are interested in how I gussied up my filing cabinets, check out the link {here}.)

I actually shared these in my first Optimum Organization link up, but they were worth mentioning again. Some readers thought these were binders. They aren't binders. They are the cardboard magazine files from Ikea and a set of 5 are about $1.99. Worth every penny! In years past, I had contact papered {is that a verb?} cereal boxes. Yes, I have been around THAT long. But, I love these so much more for many reasons. The #1 reason is that they are all the same size and color. It makes my room look like it is more organized than it really might be....shhh!

What are your favorite organizational tips? Please join us and link on up! We can't wait to read everyone's posts. I know that I have found at least 5 items from last week's link ups that are now on my to do list or on my shopping list!

13 comments

So glad you made this an ongoing linky! I am currently packing up my house, packing my class, writing reports and being pregnant. I really wanted to join in but was feeling overwhelmed. Now I am plan to join in the future.BethThinking of Teaching

Your filing cabinets look so wonderfully cute! The filing cabinets in my classroom belong to the school, so I don't know if I would be allowed to pretty them up. Love the magazine holders for stations! You can't beat a $2 price tag! Thank you for hosting this linky party. Hopefully it will get me moving on reorganization!

I have all my teacher's books in my filing cabinet too. I have been weeding them out slowly but some of them I still use. I'm hopefully heading to Ikea next weekend. I'll be buying some of these magazine holders. Thanks for sharing.

I love the magazine holders - I do like how uniform they look and when you have them facing out like that you definitely can hide all kinds of things : )I will be picking some of those up this summer for sure. I too have a ton of teacher resources that I don't use but can't seem to let go of - I should probably go through and just take out any pages that I actually might use and pitch the rest. Thanks for hosting this linky - it has me thinking every time I read a new post!

I wasn't sure if those were binders at first either!! I love how streamlined they look Elizabeth! I want to see the inside of your filing cabinets...I really like the idea of keeping those resource books in there. I have some I can't bear to through away yet either...I've been weeding them out slowly. :)

I am really excited that this is going to be a weekly link. I am going to find a way to get involved! It is so funny that you posted about your filing cabinets. It was literally YESTERDAY in school that I told a colleague that I wanted to "fancy up" by filing cabinet. I will be checking out your old post about that! I keep old teacher reproducible books in mine as well. I even have old colleague teaching textbooks that I can't seem to part with!~DanielleMy First Love

Welcome to Teaching Diversified! I am so happy you're here. After 20 years in elementary classrooms, I decided to venture out of the classroom into the world of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages). I now spend my time learning about meeting the needs of these (and other) diverse learners. I absolutely love what I do and consider myself a lifelong learner.